09ttu\thesis_writing1.

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11 December 2009

Karsten’s advice on writing a bachelor or master thesis

Karsten Staehr
Tallinn School of Economics and Business Administration
Tallinn University of Technology

This handout provides information on how to write a bachelor or master thesis; much of the
information is also applicable to course papers of a certain length. The target group is students
planning to write a bachelor or master thesis at TSEBA and who have chosen or consider choosing
Karsten as their supervisor. The handout is “work in progress” and feedback is very welcome and
will be used for future revisions.

There are no simple and eternal truths about how to write a good thesis. This handout provides general
advice and suggestions, but all theses are different so not all points will be applicable in all cases. The
handout is written as a general guideline to writing a thesis and does not refer specifically to any
particular topic or area. The handout explains how to choose a topic, to write a synopsis, to structure
the thesis, to insert references, etc. The handout does not, however, contain information on the
formal requirements, formatting instructions, deadlines etc. For English language students, such
information is available in the document “A General Guide to Writing and Defending Papers”,
which can be found on the webpage http://majandus.ttu.ee/13191. Similar information is available
for Estonian language students on the address http://majandus.ttu.ee/public/KirjTood2007.pdf. In
Estonian there is also available a paper on how to observe the faults when writing bachelor and
master theses: http://majandus.ttu.ee/public/documents/juhendid_vormid/tahelepanekud.pdf.

Remember that it is hard and often frustrating work to write a bachelor or master thesis, but it can
also be very rewarding. You will gain deeper insights in the topic of the thesis and also a new un-
derstanding of one’s capacity to learn and reason. You are always welcome to contact Karsten to
discuss any issue related to the thesis writing; perhaps just to air some thoughts and viewpoints.

1. Choosing a topic

It is often challenging to choose a topic for a bachelor or master thesis. It may be useful to start by
deciding in which area you would like to write your thesis. You have probably taken a course in a
related topic, and there might be some areas which particularly interest you or you would like to
know more about. You might have questions or issues from written or electronic media, you would
like to investigate. Sometimes students find inspiration by looking at the titles of old theses at the
library, but it is important that you only obtain inspiration and that you do not copy anything from
these old theses.

For some students it is a good idea to write down the title and some 4-6 chapter headings for three
different topics. In this way you “force” yourself to think about possible topics and also whether
you have an idea about the more detailed contents for each of the topics. When you have written
down these three different (provisional) titles and chapter headings, you may be able to rule out one
or two of the topics, and voila you have a thesis title and topic. It might also be useful to discuss the
three different topics with the thesis supervisor or with fellow students.
2. Producing a synopsis

When you have found a topic, you should outline a synopsis. A synopsis is a rough plan of the thesis
where you outline the structure of the thesis and the issues you want to consider. The synopsis would
typically start with the chapter headings and for each chapter depict the main issues to be discussed, the
expected main results, etc. Thus, the synopsis is essentially an expanded list of contents. When making
the synopsis, you should keep in mind whether the contents of the thesis are what you envisaged,
whether the topic can be analysed within the given limits of pages and whether sufficient material is
available.

Notice that the writing of the synopsis and the choosing of a topic are sometimes interrelated, so that
the topic chosen change based on the possibilities and limitations revealed when the synopsis is
written.

3. Working with the thesis

Now you have a good topic and a synopsis. How do you proceed? You might start by writing down
some tentative points (cf. also the synopsis), but probably you need more knowledge before starting to
write. Therefore, you should get familiar with the theory, empirical work, case studies, statistical
material, etc., which you plan to use. In the reading process a lot of ideas and problems will appear and
you should write them down so that they do not slip away. They might be useful later in the process.

A good starting point when reading is the syllabus of a course within the area of the thesis. The texts
used there will normally have references to other texts and thus you can use them as a guide to further
reading. You may search for material at the library, but “blind” Google searches usually also bring up a
lot of material. If these approaches do not payoff, you can consult your fellow students or the
supervisor.

When you have a good overview of the literature, you may start writing. How soon you should start
writing is hard to say, and tastes differ. Keep in mind, though, that numerous problems will pop up
when your start to formulate your arguments, which will force you to read again. Also, writing down
the arguments may clarify them and show that material you intended to use is not relevant after all.
Therefore, it might make sense to start writing early in the process. The mere fact that texts normally
should be rewritten 4-5 times also suggests that you should start early.

4. Structuring the thesis

It is extremely important to structure the thesis well. It does make a difference in what order the
different parts appear. As a start remember the following: A thesis should have a start, an ending and
something in between, or – put differently – an introduction, a main part and a conclusion. The
introduction is one separate chapter, the main part usually consists of several chapters, and the
conclusion is one separate chapter. It is sometimes useful to imagine the structure of a thesis as a fish,
cf. the figure below.

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 The academic fish

Introduction Analysis Conclusion (perspectives)

The introduction should give a few comments on why the topic has been chosen and why it is
interesting, and there should also be some introduction to the contents of the rest of the thesis. The
main issues to be explored and the plan of the thesis should be clearly outlined. In a thesis of 50-60
pages the introduction should be about 2-4 pages. In some cases it makes sense to write, or even better
to rewrite, the introduction as the last thing. Then you have an overview of the thesis and are able to
write a clear and coherent introduction to what the reader will find inside.

The main part of the thesis should set up and explain the theories and/or the analysis. It usually consists
of several chapters. Sometimes it makes sense to discuss theory in one chapter and place the empirical
analysis in another chapter. It is important to emphasise which results came out of the theoretical
analysis, perhaps stating some predictions derived about the real world. The empirical investigation
should then seek to examine whether these conclusions/predictions are actually observed in the “real
world”, e.g. Estonia, another transition or in the comparative sample. What makes a thesis really great
is if there is a rather clear connection between the theoretical part and the empirical part of the thesis.

The conclusion briefly summarises and concludes (sic!). What have been done and which findings
have been reached? In a thesis of 50-60 pages the conclusion should be about 3-4 pages.

The numbering of chapters used in Estonia differs somewhat from the numbering used in most
English-speaking countries. The
Each chapter in the thesis should be given an (Arabic) number. In English language academic work all
chapters are numbered: the first chapter (the introduction) is number 1, the following chapters are
numbered consecutively, including the final, concluding chapter.

5. Hints on writing

It is sometimes a good idea to tell the reader what you are going to do before you do it. Thus, every
chapter of the thesis could be initiated by a couple of lines indicating what is going to happen. At the
end of the chapter it is sometimes wise to summarise the findings of the part and to argue how the next
chapter fits into the preceding part of the thesis. However, do not overdo this kind of advice to the
reader as it can make the thesis tedious to read.

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Write clear and simple English using short sentences. Do not try to mimic the Estonian and Russian
academic tradition with complicated logical arguments in long sentences. It is important that it is easy
for the reader to understand what is written and that the arguments are clear and “straightforward”. If
you are in doubt whether you should use a comma or a semi-common, then use a full stop!

Make sure that you properly reference all sources

used (see below). It is absolutely unacceptable to Plagiarism is completely unacceptable! You
copy from an original text – without explicit have to phrase every sentence yourself.
quoting it. The temptation to “borrow” parts of the Straight copying of just 5-6 words from a
text from a book, an article or the internet should be source amounts to plagiarism. If you are in
resisted. Do not to copy anything without proper doubt, rephrase the sentence using your own
indication of the source. In general, if you “borrow” words.
more than three or four words (e.g. “economic
development strategies”) from a source, you must rewrite the text and/or use proper referencing. It is
easy to detect this kind of cheating. Copy-paste and other forms of plagiarism are completely unac-
ceptable and will without exceptions lead to me withdrawing as a supervisor and in grave instances I
will also report the student to the appropriate authorities at TSEBA.

It is often a very good idea to discuss the thesis with one or more fellow students. Ask the student to
read selected parts of the thesis and provide feedback in written and oral form. This “outside view”
might give you a new perspective on your thesis and will make it easier to adjust and “fine-tune” the
text.

6. List of literature

There should be a list of literature sorted alphabetically at the end of the thesis. The list of literature
should include all the texts and sources mentioned in the thesis. See examples below on how to
construct the list of literature (other systems exist; it is important to be consistent):

A book by one author:

rd
Stiglitz, J. (2000): Economics of the Public Sector, W.W. Norton & Company, 3 ed.

Start with the surname, then the first name (or the first name initials), the print year in brackets, the title
in italics, the publishing company, and finally the edition number.

A book of two or more authors:

Ham, C. and M. Hill (1993): The Policy Process in the Modern Capitalist State, Harvester Wheatsheaf Press.

The first author starts with the surname while the following authors start with the first name.

Articles:

Lindblom, C. (1959): "The Science of Muddling Through", Public Administration Review, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 119-
132.

The title of the article in quotation marks, then the name of the journal, the volume, number and pages
should follow. Notice that you do not write "in" between the title and the name of the review.

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Edited books:

Hill, M. (ed., 1993): The Policy Process: a Reader, Harvester Wheatsheaf Press.

M. Hill did not write this Book. He only edited it. This is indicated by (ed.).

Articles from edited books:

Jenkins, B. (1993): “Policy Analysis. Models and Approaches" in Hill, M. (ed.): The Policy Process: a Reader,
Harvester Wheatsheaf Press, pp. 34-44.

Both titles are in quotation marks. Notice the “in” between the title of the article and the name of the
author (or the editor) of the book (here Hill).

These examples do not cover all possibilities, but the principles could be used to construct the correct
listing of other texts.

7. References in the text

Normally references are made when you are referring to the work of another author. Example:

In his text Lindblom argues that policy progresses in small steps.

This sentence needs a reference to where Lindblom argues this. You do this in the following way:

In his text Lindblom (1959, p. 125), argues that policy progresses in small steps.

Lindblom (1959) thus refers to a title in the list of literature.

In many cases you might just want to indicate the source without emphasising it. In this case the author
name and year (and possibly also the page number(s)) can just be inserted in a bracket at the end of the
text. Example:

It is reasonable to assume that policy progresses gradually and not in large discretionary steps (Lindblom 1929,
p. 125).

It is extremely important to refer to the text where you have found the arguments. Do not fall for the
temptation to make others’ ideas your own. It is cheating and the whole thesis will be useless.

8. Quotations

Sometimes the text can be made livelier by bringing in quotations from other texts. Also, it sometimes
is important to get the exact words of the theory you are discussing. It is unlikely that you will need
many citations. Short quotations can be placed in the text in quotation marks. Example:

Simon’s response to this point is to argue that "a decision is organisationally rational if it is oriented to the
organisation’s goals", (Simon (1976), pp. 76-77), but this does not mean that he drops the idea of rationality.

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Longer quotations should be put in a separate paragraph, have a larger margin and possibly also a
smaller line spacing. Example:

However, Marxist theories adopted a different approach:

Marxist theorists were slow to take into account the implications of arguments about the growth of
bureaucracy for their perspective. While Lenin’s main preoccupation was to defend the Marxist position
from the gradualist social-democratic theorists, rather than to deal with the views of writers like Weber
and Mosca, he introduced a significant amplification of the doctrine that the state would wither away.
(Ham and Hill (1993), p. 55).

Remember always to indicate the source when you quote. Copying others’ work without giving
them credit is cheating and is, of course, completely unacceptable.